Filling the Void
by BrokenSky49
Summary: "He first felt the presence of true loneliness when he saw her again at the grocery store." Lassiter reflects on his past divorce and what his future has in store for him. A Marlowe/Lassiter AU. Post season 3. One-shot. Enjoy!


**This was something I wrote a long time ago, when I learned that Lassiter was going to get a love interest. We now know that character to be Marlow, who I adore so much. Anyway, after some edits, I decided to post it. An AU of their first meeting. It's mostly Lassiter angst. Takes place two years after season 3.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything. At all. Sorry.**

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He first felt the presence of true loneliness when he saw her again at the grocery store.

At first, when he saw her, he just stopped and stared. She looked as beautiful as ever as she picked up a can of tuna and put it in her shopping cart. All he could do was smile. Tuna had always been one of her favorites. Of course it was. He despised tuna. And naturally, everything he despised, she loved. It was one of the factors that had played a major part in what lead to their divorce two years ago.

Two years. Had it really been that long? Two whole years since he had seen her last. Two whole years since the last remnant of hope for their relationship disappeared. Two whole years since he first felt a hole in his heart.

He almost went up to her then. Two years seemed long enough to forgive and forget their past. But he couldn't. He couldn't face her. She would know.

She would know that it was him who "accidentally" put a false APB out on her new boyfriend's silver BMW.

She would know it was him who tailed her car to make sure she arrived home safely after breaking up with said boyfriend.

She would know it was him who accidentally "tripped" her second boyfriend, causing him to fall on his face and break his nose.

She would know because she knew him too well. More than he knew himself.

But he just had to talk to her. Say hello. See if at least some of those old feelings were there.

He took a deep breath, prepared to face her.

And he almost did, too.

Until he noticed a glint on her right hand.

A ring.

His heart sank.

She re-married.

As if on cue, a tall, strong looking man with stylish black hair (he admitted grudgingly) strode towards her, saying something witty, making her laugh.

He frowned. He could never make her laugh. He never made anyone laugh.

What he saw next made him feel like he had a rock in his stomach.

They kissed. It was a light-hearted, quick kiss, but one that showed all the happiness in the world.

He felt sick. He would never have her back. She really was gone.

He just watched as the man put his arm around her waist as she pushed the shopping cart down the aisle and out of sight.

He finally stopped staring, and looked at his own ringless hand.

Maybe he was truly meant to be alone.

It was then, in that store, that he first felt the truth of what alone meant.

He would never have someone to come home to every day. He wouldn't have someone to confide in, to really speak his feelings to. He would never have someone to love unconditionally.

"Shut up. You're a grown ass man. You can take this." He whispered to himself.

He left the store that day feeling deeply depressed, although he would have denied it if anyone asked. Like he said, he was a grown man. It had been two years since the divorce. Besides, he was still young, right? He wasn't completely destitute.

As much as he tried to convince himself of this, he couldn't help but notice the coldness, the emptiness, whenever he saw a couple at the store, or at the station, or when investigating a case.

O'Hara noticed it. So did Spencer and Guster. Of course, they couldn't let him be, couldn't let him wallow in silence, so sure, he snapped at them a couple times and possibly threatened to use his weapon if they didn't shut up, but that was no reason for the Chief to give him a mandatory vacation day. What was he supposed to do besides drown out his emotions through work?

So Lassiter found himself wandering aimlessly through the grocery store once again. It was late, and all he really wanted was a gallon of ice cream and a glass of wine. That was it.

But then he bumped into _her._ (It was more like he tripped on his own foot and fell into her, but who cares?)

They both fell hard to the floor, letting out yelps of shock, and dropped their supplies. They quickly got to their knees, picking up their things and apologizing, both sounding equally embarrassed.

They finally looked up at each other, faces red.

A woman around her early thirties with shoulder length blonde hair and green eyes stared up at him, blushing even more as he kneeled, gaping at her.

"I'm so sorry." she repeated as she stood up. He followed, completely forgetting about the rest of his items on the floor.

"No, I'm sorry. I tripped and I just have two left feet, I guess…" he stopped, feeling completely embarrassed in front this woman.

Then she laughed.

He never made people laugh.

Slowly, that void in his heart began closing.

He started laughing too.

They both stood there for a while, just talking. Laughing. Smiling. Completely forgetting that they were in the middle of a small local grocery store called Smart Mart.

Her name was Marlowe, and she was one of the most unique women Carlton had ever met.

The chemistry between them was undeniable. So when Carlton looked down at the single carton of rocky road ice cream and bottle of wine, he knew he had to ask.

"I just so happen to have a cheap bottle of wine and a gallon of ice cream I certainly can't finish myself. Care to join me?"

Much to his delight, she said yes.

It was a slow process, Lassiter knew that. But maybe, just maybe, he wasn't meant to be alone. Maybe, he found someone that filled his void.

And, just maybe, he had filled her's too.

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 **As always, reviews and constructive criticism is always welcome!**


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